A bear visits a local home. Photo by Hari Viswanathan

PEEC News:

What do butterflies, birds, bears and bindweed have in common? They will all be discussed in a wildlife habitat forum to be held at PEEC at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 11. Each local wildlife enthusiast on the panel will discuss his or her respective topic, and then together they will give community members a better idea of how we can give these species a better environment by making Los Alamos a certified Community Wildlife Habitat, an initiative that is already well-underway. The forum is free to attend, and no advance registration is required.

Each featured expert in the forum will present information and answer audience questions. The panel of experts includes Steve Cary on “Butterflies,” Bob Walker on “The Best Places to See Birds in Los Alamos and White Rock,” Hari Viswanathan on “How to Discourage Wild Animals From Becoming a Nuisance,” and Terry Foxx on “Our Changing Landscape and Invasive Plants.”

The steps toward making Los Alamos a certified Community Wildlife Habitat are already being undertaken, as the county already has over 100 homes, two schools and four public places with Certified Wildlife Habitat designations. The next steps are to increase the number of habitat certifications, and to conduct more community outreach events, clean ups and restoration projects.

What does the community “get” for becoming a Certified Wildlife Habitat? “Our community gets the pride and satisfaction of doing something good for our community and our wildlife, and the satisfaction of knowing that we are supporting a national effort,” PEEC spokesperson Laura Loy said.

To learn more about this and other PEEC programs, visit www.pajaritoeec.org, email Programs@PajaritoEEC.org, or call 505.662.0460.